Compression band



April 11, 1967 H. E. KOERNER ETAL 3,313,511

COMPRESSION BAND Filed Oct. 16, 196

INVENTORS Harry E, Koerner 8 Cory H. Hoskins BY United States Patent 3,313,511 COMPRESSION BAND Harry E. Koerner, Catonsvilie, and (Iary H. Haslrins,

Baltimore, Md, assignors to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 404,418 4 Clm'ms. (Cl. 248361) The present invention relates to compression bands, and more particularly to bands such as are employed to hold and support patients on X-ray tables.

Prior art compression band assemblages employed to hold and support patients on X-ray tables, for example, are characterized by a relatively high degree of complexity, including rails on each side of the X-ray table, clamps for securing opposite ends of the band to selected positions along such rails, and a ratcheted cranking mechanism to draw the band tightly over the patient to bind him firmly to the table top.

In view of the foregoing remarks, it becomes a prime object of the present invention to provide a compression band of simplified construction which obviates need for the aforementioned side rails and ratcheted cranking mechanism.

In general, the simplified compression band assemblage of the present invention comprises a continuous strap or band anchored at one end by a hook which fits over one edge of the table top and which extends through an eye in a second hook anchored to the opposite edge of the table. From the second hook, the band doubles back over the inner ply so that exertion of a pulling force on the threaded-through or extended end of the band causes tightening of the inner ply around the patient. Securing of the band in its tensioned or tightened state is effected by means of a separable securing means having complementary portions extending along the outer surface of the inner ply of the band and along the inner surface of the outer ply of the band.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a compression band constructed in accord with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic section view of a separable securing means employed in the band of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the novel compression band assemblage as applied to hold a patient to the top of an X-ray table; and

FIG. 4 is an end elevation view of the assemblage shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, the novel compression band of the present invention is formed of flexible fabric material of suitable strength and durability. A 6 oz. synthetic fabric woven from threads of polyethylene terephthalate and sold under the trademark Dacron, type S/ 650, has been found to be suitable, as also would be other materials, synthetic or natural, fabric or solid, so long as the band It) composed of such material has substantially equivalent flexibility and tensile strength. As shown in FIG. 1 only, all edges of the band it) preferably are doubled over and stitched to reinforce such edges and prevent unravelling of the fabric of which the exemplified band is composed. According to features of the invention, the band it) has a loop 11 at one end, FIGS. 1-4, which fits around a portion of a first anchor hook 14, FIGS. 3 and 4, which anchors to one edge of the table top 15. The opposite end of the band 10 is a tapered end 17 which facilitates its being threaded through the eye 19 of a second anchor hook 20 which anchors to the opposite side edge of the table top. One part of a 353133511 Patented Apr. lll, 1967 separable securing means, in form of a tapelike fastener strip 22, is stitched to the tapered end 17 of the band 10. Strip 22 is of less width than wider part of the band and extends along and beyond the tapered end 17 for a considerable distance. The extremity of the tapered end 17 of the band 10 reduces to a width equal or less than that of the fastener strip to afford an even distribution of tension force across the width of the band at the eye 19 in hook 29, which prevents gathering and buckling when a pull is exerted on the end of strip 22 during use of the assemblage. A complementary part of the separable fastening means, in form of a tapelike fastener strip 24, is stitched to the untapered portion of the band 10. Strip 24 extends centrally along the band for a considerable distance beyond the loop 11. Both the fastener strip 24 and the fastener strip 22 have surfaces adapted for separable securing engagement, one With the other, when pressed together in face-to-face relationship. Accordingly these surfaces of the strips 22 and 24 are disposed along the same face of the band It) when in its free, flat, and extended attitude as shown in FIG. 1, in order to afford opportunity for such surfaces to be pressed together in use of the band when doubled back on itself as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The band 10 may be of any suitable width and of a length adequate to suit the dimensions of various-sized patients and tables. A satisfactory band has been constructed having a width of six inches, a length of about seven feet, including a length of the strip 22 extending about one foot beyond the tapered end 17, a tapered end i7 length of two feet, a strip 24 length of two feet, a strip 22 length of two and one-half feet, and a width of two inches for the strips 22 and 24.

The hooks 14 and 20 are formed of suitable strength material, such as sheet steel, and each comprises two legs 36 of generally C-shaped configuration, as viewed from an end edge, which are integrally joined at their one end to a band-constraint member in form of a cross-piece 32, over which the band 10 passes, and which have inwardly extending fingers 34 formed in their lower ends for extension beneath a projecting portion of a table edge construction to anchor such hooks 14 and 20 thereto. A respective bent metal pad 36 is included on each cross member 32 to present a smooth rounded surface to the band ill which facilitates sliding movement thereover and prevents cutting and abraiding of the band material.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the complementary tapelike fastener strips 22 and 24 are of the well-known form such as sold by Velcro Corporation under the trademark Velcro and in which the one fastener strip 24 is composed of a synthetic resin material and has a plurality of hooks 40 projecting from a face thereof and the other strip 22 is composed of a synthetic resin material and has a plurality of loops 41 projecting from its face. When the hook strip 24 is pressed against the loop strip 22 in face-to-face relationship the hooks interlock with the loops to secure the strips together. Separation of the strips can be effected by peeling. In the present invention, by providing strips 22 and 24 of substantial length disposed along the band It) in a manner which applies a shearing force between the strips when the band is tensioned, such securing means is both convenient and effective. In the successful construction referred to before herein, the two-inch wide Velcro fastener strip 24 has hooks thereon and the two-inch wide Velcro fastener strip 22 has unnapped pile for the loops thereof. The projecting end of the strip 22 is doubled over and stitched to form a square tab 4-5 at such end, making the loop pile 41 visible in FIG. 3 at such location. US. Patent No. 3,009,235 describes such a hookand-loop securing means, and reference may be had thereto should further description become necessary for an 9 a understanding of the securing means embodied in the present invention.

In use of the compression band of the present invention, assume that the loop 11 of the band has been slipped over one leg 30 of the hook 14 to assume a position around the respective cross-piece 32, with the hook strip 24 facing upwardly as the legs 30 extend leftward and downward as viewed in the drawings. Assume also that the tapered end 17 of the band 10 has been threaded through the eye 19 of the hook 20 to extend leftward across the band while the legs 30 of hook 20 extend rightward and downward as viewed in the drawings. The legs 30 of the hook 14 are then fit over the edge of the table top such that the fingers 34 project thereunder, and the double-over band is then drawn over the patient 50, shown symbolically in dot-and-dash outline. With the fastener strips 24 and 22 separated the band may be extended, while holding the hook 14 in place, to permit the hook to be similarly fit over the opposite edge of the table. Once the second anchor hook 20 is also in place, the projecting end of the strip 22 is pulled in the direction of the hook 14 and above the hook strip 24 to draw the band 10 tightly over the patient. While holding the desired degree of tension, the pile strip 22 is pressed downwardly onto the hook strip 24 to lock them together and thereby secure the band tightly around a selected area of the patient. To release the band, the strip 22 is peeled free from the strip 24, the band is extended and the hooks slip free of the table in the presence of the slackened band.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present compression band assemblage is exceedingly simple in construction, and one which may readily be introduced to a table for use, and which may be rolled up to a compact size for convenient storage. Furthermore, since the materials of which the band 10 and the securing strips 22 and 24 are composed impose little opacity to transmission of X-rays, their extension over an area of the patient being observed by X-rays does not obscure an image produced by passage of X-rays over such bandand-strip covered area.

While there has been shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention, modifications thereto may readily occur to those skilled in the art. It is not desired, therefore, that the invention unnecessarily be limited to the specific details shown and described and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. A compression band assemblage consisting essentially of a pair of hooks for anchoring to opposite respective recessed edges of a substantially flat member, said hooks each having a band-constraint member to extend along the table edge when such hooks are in use, a flexible band having a loop at one end in encirclement of the band-constraint member of one of said hooks, said band extending from said loop as an inner ply to the other of said hooks and upwardly around the respective band- 4 constraint member thereof, and, as an overlapping outer ply, back over such inner ply toward its loop end, and separable pressure-sensitive securing means attached to said band for locking the plys thereof together while said band is in a tensioned state in such two'ply extension between the hooks.

2. A compression band asssemblage as claimed in claim 1, further characterized in that the separable pressuresensitive securing means is in the form of tapelike fastener strips of synthetic resin material having engageable hooks and loops.

3. A compression band assemblage as claimed in claim 1, wherein said separable pressure-sensitive securing means is in the form of two tapelike fastener strips of synthetic resin material, one having a hook face and the other having a loop face, the two strips being stitched to the flexible band and extending considerable distances therealong and so disposed as to have at least length portions of the hook and loop faces facing one another between the overlapping portions of the hand during its use, whereby the band may be retained in a tensioned state by pressing the two faces of the fastener strips together and may subsequently be freed by peeling such strips apart.

4. A flexible compression band of radiolucent mate rial having a loop at one end for encirclement of a member of an anchor hook and having an opposite tapered end for threading through an eye of a second anchor hook to double back over a portion of the band extending from hook-to-hook, and tapelike fastener strips of radiolucent material attached to said band in extension therealong, said fastener strips having complementary securing surfaces which interlock and stick the strips together when such. surfaces are pressed together and which may be peeled apart for separation, said strips being so arranged on a face of said band such that one fastener strip faces inwardly from the tapered end of the band when in its double-back position, and the other fastener strip faces outwardly on the hook-to-hook portion of the band, and said strips being of adequate length to afford interengagement of their securing faces for a considerable length wise distance at various degrees of doubling back of the tapered end of the band.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,409,946 10/ 1946 McLeod 22442.l 2,983,413 5/1961 Verwers 224-42.1 3,057,354 10/1962 Roberts et a1 128-289 3,093,830 6/1963 Wills 2-102 3,118,443 1/1964 Dykinga 128-75 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,117,290 2/1956 France.

812,591 9/1951 Germany.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. J. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COMPRESSION BAND ASSEMBLAGE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A PAIR OF HOOKS FOR ANCHORING TO OPPOSITE RESPECTIVE RECESSED EDGES OF A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT MEMBER, SAID HOOKS EACH HAVING A BAND-CONSTRAINT MEMBER TO EXTEND ALONG THE TABLE EDGE WHEN SUCH HOOKS ARE IN USE, A FLEXIBLE BAND HAVING A LOOP AT ONE END IN ENCIRCLEMENT OF THE BAND-CONSTRAINT MEMBER OF ONE OF SAID HOOKS, SAID BAND EXTENDING FROM SAID LOOP AS AN INNER PLY TO THE OTHER OF SAID HOOKS AND UPWARDLY AROUND THE RESPECTIVE BANDCONSTRAINT MEMBER THEREOF, AND, AS AN OVERLAPPING OUTERPLY, BACK OVER SUCH INNER PLY TOWARD ITS LOOP END, AND SEPARABLE PRESSURE-SENSITIVE SECURING MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID BAND FOR LOCKING THE PLYS THEREOF TOGETHER WHILE SAID BAND IS IN A TENSIONED STATE IN SUCH TWO-PLY EXTENSION BETWEEN THE HOOKS. 